Hosting a wine tasting party is easy and fun! Don’t worry, the tasting leader will help you pull it off without a hitch. Your guests will have a memorable evening and they’ll thank you for it!

Hosting Tips

Guidelines for Hosting a Wine Tasting Party

 

Wine

Your tasting leader will submit your wine order to a local wine shop and deliver it the night of the tasting. The tasting leader will collect from you a separate payment (payable to the wine shop) for the wine and remit it to the merchant.

 

Table/Seating

Prepare seating for the expected number of attendees. There should be ample room for all glasses and tasting notes. A standard 2 ½ X 8 foot table will seat eight. A six foot table will seat six. Multiple tables are okay. One eight foot folding table and eight folding chairs are available from SWIRL at no extra charge if needed.

 

If possible, use a white table cloth (best for inspecting a wine’s color). Disposable “linen” table cloths are available at Party City and Sam’s Club.

 

Glasses, Bread, Water, etc.

At each setting provide a full water glass and a pen or pencil. Each table should have a pitcher of ice water and two large receptacles for dumping unused portions of wine. The tasting leader will provide the wine glasses.

 

Each table should also be supplied with at least one basket of bite-size pieces of bread (covered to keep them fresh). Any bread is fine. The baguettes from Byerly’s work especially well. One baguette is usually enough for about 8 people.

 

Tasting Leader Space

Provide table space, a separate table, bar, or counter top area for the leader to set wines and other materials.

 

Door Prize? Dessert?

If you choose to have a door prize, prepare a small container with the names of the attendees to facilitate the drawing. Have decaf coffee ready to brew. You can decide whether or not to serve a dessert.

 

Lighting

The seating area should be well lit. Dim lighting may create a more pleasant atmosphere, but it is not very conducive to visually examining wine. Avoid the use of candles. Even unscented candles produce odors that can inhibit your guests’ ability to smell the wine.

 

Music

If you want to have some quiet background music, instrumentals are best (vocal music interferes with conversation). Classical music from the Roccoco, and Baroque periods are ideal - composers include Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Correlli, Purcell, Scarlatti, and Telemann. Light, instrumental jazz also works well.

 

Setup

The leader will arrive about one hour prior to the start of the tasting to help with any last minute details.

 

 

Hosting Checklist (To print: copy and paste to your word processing software)

 

___  Adequate seating available

___  White table cloth

___  Water glasses (filled with ice water)

___  Pitchers of ice water (at least one per table)

___  Receptacles for dumping excess wine (2/table)

___  pencil or pen at each setting

___  Bite-sized bread pieces (at least 1 basket/table)

___  Tasting leader area

___  Small container for door prize drawing (optional)

___  Decaffeinated coffee ready to brew

___  Dessert (optional)

Wine School & Tastings

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